And what a reserve it is: more than 200 butterfly species can be seen there, plus an impressive assortment of colorful birds, mammals, reptiles and other wildlife. In our morning visit, we saw green jays and curve-billed thrashers, Altamira orioles and black-crested titmice, hispid cotton rats and an indigo snake, plus around 25 species of butterflies.

Add to that the fact that Trevino-Wright is one of those conservationists who explodes with enthusiasm for her subject, shouting out species names as we walked, pointing excitedly to beetles and walking sticks, diving into the bushes after snakes.

We had seen far more than we had a right to expect. But Trevino-Wright wasn’t finished. We still had to see some alligators.

We drove to a wetland attached to the Rio Grande River, just across the river from Mexico — literally a stone’s throw away.

The alligators weren’t on the bank of the wetland where we expected to see them, but we could hear a splashing. And then that reptilian head appeared. But this one was attached to a thick rope. Very unhappily attached.

First, we had to get the gator to land. It was surprisingly heavy, but pulling the gator onto the dock proved to be the easy part. The gator didn’t like being hooked. It liked being out of the water less.

Then it was time to calm the creature, by placing a towel over its eyes. It quit thrashing, but caution was still in order. There were a lot of hands very close to the gator’s mouth, as staff tried to extract the barbed metal.

The staff there are doing a fantastic job with restoration, research, native plant gardening and extensive education and outreach programs. And they’re excited to discuss it with you. In fact, Trevino-Wright missed a family barbeque – on the Sunday of Memorial Day, no less – to lead our impromptu tour.

I can’t think of a place in the United States where I’ve seen more charismatic biodiversity in such a short period of time. It’s the perfect place to share with new and old friends who share a passion for wildlife and conserving it.

Thanks to conservation writer, editor and photographer Paul Queneau for use of photos in this blog.

Matt Miller is director of science communications for The Nature Conservancy and editor of the Cool Green Science blog. A lifelong naturalist and outdoor enthusiast, he has covered stories on science and nature around the globe. Matt has worked for the Conservancy for the past 14 years, previously serving as director of communications for the Idaho program.
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